Rich Countries Wreck WTO Trade Talks

Today,
international agency Oxfam slammed the European Union and
America for wrecking the WTO trade talks in Cancun. The two
agricultural subsidy superpowers refused to concede any
ground to developing countries on agriculture, and Europe?s
attempt to force Singapore Issues through led toan end
in negotiations.

Poor countries, led by the G21, have
stood up to enormous pressure from the EU and US to accept a
damaging deal on agriculture and market access.

Oxfam
takes no delight in this failure. It is a missed
opportunity.

Phil Bloomer of Oxfam said World trade
negotiations will never be the same again. On paper,
thismeeting has failed but the new power of developing
countries backed by campaigners around the world has made
Cancun a turning point.

In the past, rich countries made
deals behind closed doors without listening to the rest of
the world. They tried it again in Cancun. But developing
countries refused to sign a deal that would fail the world´s
poorest people.

The United States and Europe must take
responsibility for this failure. They must come back to the
table acknowledging the new reality and embracing a renewed
commitment to multilateral cooperation.

Bloomer added Rich
countries over played their hand and misjudged the strength
of feeling and unity of the developing world who want to
make trade fair and have a stake in global prosperity.

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